


Just a Few Minutes, Please

by ShellyNelsonLahey



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Jeronica, Valentine’s Jeronica Week, Vughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:15:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22669885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShellyNelsonLahey/pseuds/ShellyNelsonLahey
Summary: It’s Valentine’s Day, and Jughead wants to find a fake date to get a discount at this restaurant. He is much too afraid to ask Veronica, so instead he asks Betty. He had no idea that anything was different until the raven haired beauty walked through the door instead of his blonde step-sister.
Relationships: Veronica Lodge & Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge x Jughead Jones - Relationship, Veronica Lodge/Jughead Jones
Kudos: 35





	Just a Few Minutes, Please

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The Jeronica Nation](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+Jeronica+Nation).



> I am a day late, but this is for the first day of Valentine’s Jeronica Week, Fake Dating. Hope you enjoy!

“Can’t you just go with me, Betts? We may be step siblings, but it is cheap food and you and I both know we can’t decline an offer like this,” Jughead whined, groaning in annoyance as he tossed and turned his body like a child having a tantrum. Bedsheets twisted, winding around his arms and legs, he let out a puff of air and moved his gaze over to the blonde who sat in his desk chair with a ghost of an amused smirk playing on her lips.

Betty hummed, ignoring the whining she was slowly becoming accustomed to. Being friends with him before their parents married, she had never seen this side of him. And she was glad she never thought of him as anything more than some oddly adorable, broody loner, especially now that they were a part of the same family. But, God, is this what he was like while they were growing up? She would have never known, probably because she was too busy being absolutely in love with her best friend, Archie Andrews. Jughead was more like a friend of a friend, she wasn’t that close with him and never had been until recently when their parents starting dating. “Why don’t you ask Veronica? If there’s anyone else who likes food as much as you do, Jug, it would be her.”

“Veronica?” Jughead coughed incredulously, sitting up restlessly. “It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, do you honestly think she doesn’t have a whole line of perfect, god-like men and women waiting for her to choose who has the pleasure to spend the day with her, to shower her with gifts? She must be busy for the entire week! She’s Veronica Lodge.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to ask. She hasn’t said anything about what she’s doing for Valentine’s Day.” Betty offered some comfort, but it wasn’t in Jughead’s nature to give himself much hope. He was more of a “imagine the worst case scenario so you’re never disappointed no matter what happens” kind of person.

“It would. It would hurt to ask, because then I’d become one of the many not-good-enough rejected lowlives that can only dream of being in the same room as her.” Jughead was aware that his scenario was absolutely insane, and that Veronica wasn’t actually like that. She seemed like she was a rich socialite who could care less about the people under her when it came to money and status, but she wasn’t. And it’s why Jughead had been crushing on her the day she stepped foot in Riverdale and they shared a couple of her very first taste of Pop’s fries. “Why would she want to go out to a normal, not-five-star restaurant with me for a couple’s discount Valentine’s Day dinner when she could quite literally buy out an entire restaurant and have her own buffet or something with some hot guy or girl?”

“Because we both know her, and she’s more into sentimental gestures. If she does have suitors who are treating her for Valentine’s Day, they will try to impress her with everything they got, but they don’t have something you do." Betty raised her eyebrows as a nod towards Jughead, waiting for him to either say what they both know, or let her finish the fact for him. When he gave in with a huff, he crossed his arms with a pleading, puffed out lip. Betty smiled knowingly. “She knows you, and considers you a close friend. She’d much rather go out on a date with you, even if it’s just as a friend than some guy or gal trying to impress her in hopes that in return they’ll get sex. With you, Veronica can be herself. So go ask her, or so help me if you come to me crying and regretting it later I will end you.”

Jughead knew he would quite literally rather fall dead than lower his guard and ask Veronica out, but he was annoyingly aware that Betty wouldn’t let go of it until she was satisfied with the one answer she wanted. So, Jughead pretended to give in with an, “alright, fine… I’ll ask her today.”

With an answer she liked, Betty perked up with a cheeky grin. “Good. I’m proud of you, Juggy. You’re always so shy and reserved, but asking Veronica out—”

“—just to remind you, it’d be, like, a fake date,” Jughead stated, although he wished it would be an actual date and not for some discount. But Veronica would never want to go on an actual date with Jughead Jones. Why would she, when she could be treated like the queen she is by some hot man or woman at a fancy, five star restaurant? Jughead didn’t feel like he deserved to be friends with her, get the luxury of seeing her bubbly smile. He didn’t feel like he was worthy of her presence. But, hey, he wasn’t going to pass up on the perks of being her friend. He could manage, he lived in a fantasy world, anyways.

* * *

Jughead nervously sat in the restaurant the next day. Later that night, Betty poked her head into his bedroom after knocking and got straight to the point to see if he had asked her what he wanted to. He lied and told the blonde that the socialite was too busy to give him an hour of her day, so she said she would be there since Archie hadn’t asked her out yet. However, it had been about fifteen minutes since he had been sat at a table for two and she hadn’t shown, so naturally he was beginning to worry.

“Sir, we have more people waiting to be seated. If the second person for your party doesn’t show up…” the waiter warned, just wanting to clean off this table and give it to someone else. But Jughead wasn’t ready just yet.

“Just a few more minutes, please?” Jughead pleaded, and with that the waiter smiled sympathetically and nodded gently, leaving to bus another table. Jughead pulled out his phone and let his mind race. What if Archie came through last night after their talk and Betty wasn’t going to show? What if Betty forgot? What if Betty found out he lied and was punishing him for it? What if he had to desperately ask Veronica out, for real, at the last minute? What if—

The second the bell rang at the entrance, he turned his gaze in hopes of seeing flowing blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Instead, there was familiar raven hair that he dreamed of running his fingers through and dark, seductive brown eyes he could get lost in for ages. Veronica walked through the door with a bright, apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry, babe! Traffic was a mess, but i’ll make it up to you later tonight.” The wink she sent caught him especially off guard.

_Babe?_

Jughead swallowed thickly, blinking rapidly in hopes that he would wake up from whatever dream this was. He wouldn’t doubt it, he’s had multiple dreams about Veronica that he would never share with anybody, but after pinching the top of his hand he realized he wasn’t waking up in his bed, sweaty and trying to catch his breath. This was reality. Betty must have found out he didn’t ask Veronica, and took it into her own hands. Then, it all made sense. That’s why she came by his bedroom to accept his proposal… to ease him into a false sense of security so she could send in Veronica like he actually wanted.

He was suddenly all too aware just how rude he was being in front of Veronica. He burst up from his seat, nervously hitting the table in the process and causing the glass to shake, while he stumbled over to where she would sit and pulled out her chair for her. She sat down with a thankful smile, and puckered her lips up at him. _Was she expecting a kiss?_ He wasn’t prepared at all, he didn’t think he was going to be having a fake-date with Veronica Lodge, after all. He wished he had got the guts to ask her himself, because at least then he could’ve put in his all instead of looking like an idiot in front of the restaurant.

Seeing as Jughead was frozen, staring at her ready lips, she brought hers to his quickly and chuckled. “What, am I just so damn beautiful you can’t function? We’ve been dating for years, hun, and you still act like it’s the first time you’ve seen me.”

Clearly, she was going all in, herself. He pulled away and cleared his throat, preparing himself to make everyone in that restaurant believe they were a couple who had, apparently, been dating for years. He was going to match her level. “Of course, beautiful… I seem to forget just how gorgeous you are and it hits me with a truck whenever I see you again.”

Slowly sitting back down in his seat, the waiter came back at the perfect time and Jughead almost smirked at the look of shock on his face. He wasn’t expecting a girl like Veronica, the most beautiful girl in the world, to be on a date with a guy looking like Jughead. Of course, it wasn’t a real date, but no one other than Jughead and, hopefully, Veronica, knew that. Veronica noticed the waiter’s reaction , and tilted her head in a challengingly innocent way. “What is the look of shock for? Surprised that I actually showed up to the date my boyfriend of three years has taken me to for Valentine’s Day? I would have come on time, but traffic does not fair well for a rushing woman.”

Jughead grinned, loving how into it she was. She was creating this whole narrative for him, for this discount. It was admiring, and he was definitely going to milk it as much as possible. “I told you it would just take a few minutes.”

The waiter chuckled in embarrassment under his breath, and pretended he hadn’t judged beforehand. “Well, here are your menus. Is there anything you two would like to drink? Valentine’s Day night has a discount for couples, everything is half off.”

“I’ll have a lemonade, please.” Veronica’s eyes flittered over to Jughead, a glint in her eye that told him she was trying to guess what he was going to get. Like she wanted to know him, to see through him. It was almost like a challenge to her, to figure out what he was going to get before he spoke it into existence.

“Just a water, please.”

Veronica cocked her head backwards in confusion. “But… you love Dr. Pepper.” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “are you trying to impress me, or something? Because that is totally unnecessary, Jug.”

“You remembered my favorite drink?”

“Well, of course, silly,” Veronica laughed, waving him off. “You’ve told me stories about how you would drink a pack with your father watching football. It’s your favorite, so why don’t you get it? It’s not like I’ll be turned away from a few burps. We’ve been dating for three years, nothing you do could bother me, babe.”

“Uh… I guess i’ll take a Dr. Pepper, instead,” Jughead awkwardly looked up into the waiter’s eyes, who nodded and jot it down. “I’ll be back soon with your drinks, and to take your order. Enjoy the evening, folks!”

When the waiter left, Jughead and Veronica both turned to one another. Jughead wasn’t sure what to say. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, he murmured, “Betty ratted me out, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. I was talking to Betty last night and she wondered if you asked me out yet,” Veronica snickered, looking over the menu with her dark eyes. It irked him that she wasn’t looking directly at him, and instead acted like it wasn’t a big deal. It irked him that he couldn’t meet her gaze head on, because he loved how the bright lights romantically strewn around the restaurant glinted off of her brown irises. “I had no idea what she was talking about until she scoffed, muttered something in annoyance that I figure was about you, and told me about this restaurant and their discount and that you wanted a fake date to use it.”

“I figured you were busy the whole week. I mean, you’re Veronica Lodge, you’re the most beautiful and desired woman in our grade—” Jughead widened his eyes, realizing he had said that out loud, to her face, and now he wanted to crawl into a hole and die so he didn’t have to hear her make fun of him and his crush on her. But he hoped he could save it. “I mean, I just thought you’d… you know… rather be at a five star restaurant being pampered with some model-like date than at a fake date with me.”

“I mean, you’re not completely wrong. What you’re thinking is what the old Veronica would want,” she sighed, thinking about who she was before she moved to Riverdale. “The party girl. The girl who had a line of people desperate to please her, to use her in some way, shape, or form. However, I don’t care about any of that, of a day where people sucked up to me in hopes of getting in good with my father. I’d much rather be here with a cute friend to get a discount for Valentine’s Day. It’s much more intimate and personal if you ask me.”

“Oh…"

“Betty also confided in me that you probably have a crush on me.” Veronica couldn’t help the grin plastering onto her lips. It was full of teasing, and definitely embarrassed him, but he could tell she wasn’t trying to.

“I’m going to kill her.” Jughead growled lowly, biting down on the edge of his tongue in hopes he wouldn’t go off on a tangent about how annoying his bossy, I’m-always-right step-sister is.

“Well, is it true?” Veronica raised her eyebrows. “Do you like me?”

“I’m not even your type. I’m not… hot enough.” Jughead tried to dismiss her question, but this was Veronica Lodge he was talking to. A girl who matched his stubbornness, and she was not going to relent. In that way, he realized she was much like Betty. But when Veronica did it, instead of it being too much and pushy, it was to get her end goal and he admired that because he could relate.

“While that is false, it’s also not what I asked.” Veronica tilted her chin upwards, challenging him. “I want the absolute truth, even if you’re afraid to say it. _Do… you… like… me_?” She enunciated each word slowly, lips pursed as she waited patiently.

Jughead was surprised at himself when his mouth forced out a “yes” without his brain’s permission. He was quick to try to downplay it. “I mean, it’s probably because people always want what they could never have. I mean, we’re total opposites and it’s… you know… absolutely crazy. It’ll probably go away soon, or something.”

“What if I don’t want it to?” He couldn’t see the small smile playing on her lips because she knew exactly what she was doing when she pulled the menu high enough to hide her features, but he could feel her high heel slowly, seductively sliding up his pant leg. “I mean, how am I going to be able to ask you out on a real date if you’re trying to get rid of your crush on me, Jug?”

Jughead choked on his water. “ _What_?”

“Ooh, the chicken alfredo looks absolutely delicious!” Veronica bit down on her lower lip, knowing that her distracted menu-scanning was going to make Jughead even more anxious about what she had stated. “Look, we’ll get our food and we’ll talk more. But I want you to know that you don’t have to try and impress me, or anything. Actually, i’d prefer it if you didn’t. Everyone always tries to impress me, but I think that’s why I like you. You’re just… unapologetically you. You don’t try to become someone you’re not to get in good with my dad, or to make me like you.”

“I’m sorry, i’m still wrapping my head around the fact that you want to ask me on a date, and now I find out that you actually like me back? Forgive me for being too stunned to form any words about any of that,” Jughead blinked rapidly; all of the dreams he’s had about this kind of moment actually coming true left him in a confused, awestruck state.

“I am aware that this is a fake-date for the discount, but I’m being serious, Jughead.” Veronica laughed gently. “I want us to go on an actual, meaningful date. Whether that’s another restaurant or simply us looking up at the stars and munching on food, I don’t care. Dates are about getting to know one another, getting a feel for one another. As long as we’re with each other and having fun, that’s all that matters.”

“You must hate me for assuming,” Jughead muttered, “i’m sorry… you’re just… the most amazing woman I’ve ever met and the thought of you even allowing me to breathe the same air you do is appalling.”

“You talk about me like i’m some deity. It’s admirable, I guess, but really weird,” Veronica admitted, pursing her lips as she looked over the menu for real this time. Although she figured she was going to get the chicken alfredo, it didn’t hurt to look. “I’m just a regular human being, like you.”

“I know. It’s just… you’re so… _good_. I could never deserve you.”

“That’s bullshit, and you know it.” Veronica placed her menu down to show Jughead that she was crossing her arms in distaste. “I guess while we eat I’m going to have to lay some psychology facts on you to thoroughly explain why you’re trying to deny yourself anything good, and then show you how to stop doing it. You deserve to have amazing things, Jughead, no matter what they are.”

“I can save you the trouble of looking into the file your dad probably has on me. It’s because of my rough childhood.”

Veronica rolled her eyes, deciding to leave that conversation for later. “So, have you figured out what you want to eat yet?”

“I can barely read the words on the menu when all that’s going through my head right now is the fact that you like me back, so… no. What do you think I’d get?”

“Well, if this were Pop’s that’d be easy but knowing what will annoy you, you’ll have the expensive, juicy steak so I can see if you also need to learn how to properly cut one.”

“It’s times like these where I wonder how I like you since you have irritatingly similar qualities to me."


End file.
